For Immediate Release: Friday, July 18, 2025

The Historic 18th & Vine District is entering a new era, with multiple infrastructure projects underway and new business opportunities being offered. This week's edition of the Revive the Vine newsletter will include details on construction updates, efforts to fill vacant storefronts and impacts related to upcoming events.

Construction Updates

Construction has started on several Revive the Vine projects, including the 18th Street Pedestrian Mall, 18th and Lydia Parking Garage, The Parker Apartments and the Boone Theater reconstruction. This work is causing several closures in the 18th and Vine District. Despite active construction and street closures, businesses are still open. Pedestrian walkways are maintained as much as possible, with safety precautions in place.

As of Monday, July 21, 2025, the sidewalks on both the north and south sides of 18th Street between The Paseo and Vine Street will close until around September. This work will involve removing and replacing sidewalk that extends from The Paseo up to The Blue Room and the Historic Lincoln Building. Access to these buildings will be maintained through gravel ramps to pedestrian outlets.

18th Street from Paseo to Vine Street is currently closed to traffic. This includes sidewalks between Paseo and Vine Street. ADA compliant pedestrian outlets are in place on the sidewalks to the east of Vine Street. This configuration is expected to be in place at least through September.

Water line work related to the 18th Street Pedestrian Mall has started on Vine Street. As a result, the intersection of 18th and Vine will remain closed until this work is complete. Separate water line connections for The Parker will start soon, which will not have any additional public-facing impacts.

Additional water line work is expected to start soon near 18th Street and Lydia Avenue. This is not expected to impact through traffic on 18th Street. This is related to the 18th Street Parking Garage Project, which has a construction zone in the surface lot on 18th Street between Grove Street and Lydia Avenue.

Storm sewer work in The Paseo is underway. Because of this, there is a closure on Northbound Paseo at 19th Street, requiring drivers to detour to the left or right on 19th Street. Constructors hope to have this work completed by July 25, 2025.

Additional storm sewer work related to renovations on the Boone Theater is expected to start by the end of July. This will result in a closure on Highland Avenue from 19th Street to 18th Street, with one-way through traffic for residents.

There will also be intermittent closures on 18th Street between Vine Street and Highland Avenue due to ongoing utility work and coordination with Spire. Because of this, an opening is in place on the Highland Avenue side of 18th Street, which is to accommodate through traffic for deliveries and drop-offs only. Additionally, Spectrum line relocation is expected to start soon, which will lead to a closure at the intersection of 18th and Vine.

Impact of Closures & Permitting

Events traditionally held on 18th Street will be impacted by active construction zones. For the safety of event participants, event organizers must relocate festivities to The Paseo between Truman Road and 18th Street or consider an alternate location (outside of 18th Street) within the Jazz District during this period. Kansas City is committed to supporting these events and looks forward to welcoming them back to an improved and revitalized 18th Street in the future. For questions about event permitting or location changes, please contact David Warren with the Kansas City Permit Division.

Carnival on Vine, hosted by The Velvet Freeze Daiquiris, is being held on Saturday, July 19, 2025 from 4:00 PM to 12:00 AM. This event will be staged one Vine Street between 19th and 18th Street. Barricades will be in place at 18th Street and Vine Street as well as 18th Street and Highland Avenue to keep attendees and traffic away from the construction zone. Barricades will also be up on 19th Street between Highland Avenue and Vine Street, but staff members will be there to let residents through.

Due to construction on 18th Street, the 2025 Heart of America Hot Dog Festival hosted by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is being moved to the National WWI Museum and Memorial. The event is being held Saturday, August 9, 2025, at 3:00 PM and features live entertainment, food, drinks and more.

Business Resources

A successful public site visit for four vacant storefronts in the 18th and Vine district was held on Friday, June 11, 2025. This is related to a "Request for Proposals" to get prospective business owners and entrepreneurs into those empty buildings. There's still time to submit a proposal, as the deadline for this process is Friday, August 8, 2025. Proposals must be submitted through Bonfire, Kansas City's online procurement platform. Kansas City staff appreciates local news outlets like KMBC 9 and Fox 4 for helping spread the word of this RFP through their coverage. Click here to read more about the RFP process.

There are also additional resources for both active and potential businesses owners through Kansas City BizCare. The program acts as a one-stop shop for entrepreneurs, providing guidance on navigating the city's licensing, permitting, and approval processes, as well as connecting them with relevant resources and support organizations. Kansas City BizCare also helps businesses access capital programs and promotes economic mobility.

MORE ABOUT REVIVE THE VINE

Revive the Vine is Kansas City's $400+ million reinvestment initiative in the historic 18th & Vine Jazz District. The program combines major public infrastructure projects with private development to restore cultural landmarks, expand housing, improve walkability, and support neighborhood vitality.

As part of the initiative, the City is also working to activate vacant storefronts by bringing in small businesses, artists, and entrepreneurs-ensuring 18th & Vine remains a vibrant cultural and commercial destination for generations to come.